Fortuna City Council moves forward with public input on sales tax measure

The Fortuna City Council directed staff Monday to move forward with the process of adding a 1 percent sales tax measure to the November ballot to help fund public safety and other needs.

Councilwoman Sue Long said she was concerned about adding a ballot measure that would include a commitment to hire additional officers for schools or drug task forces.

"If we say we're going to commit the extra funds, do we have to stick with that or can we change it?" Long asked. "I think we need to somehow word it to say we have these funds and we can use it how we want, but on what the community is interested in."

Councilwoman Tami Trent said it's important to list what the community is interested in on the ballot, otherwise they won't vote for the measure.

"The community wants increased law enforcement; they're not going to vote for something that says we have this money and this is what we're going to do with it," Trent said.

Between April 21 and April 27, the Lew Edwards Group and Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates conducted a phone survey during the first step of the planning process – which allowed residents to give input on different aspects of the community, according to City Manager Regan Candelario. He added that 400 people considered likely to vote in November 2014 were randomly selected for the survey.

"More than two-thirds of respondents think the city is heading in the right direction, more than six out of 10 believe the city has great or some needs for funding and 77 percent approve of the job being done by the city council," Candelario said. "Respondents found public safety, supporting small businesses and promoting community events as the most important use of funds."

With the council's approval, Candelario and city staff will work to put the sales tax measure on the ballot. They will continue with steps two through four of the process, which includes discussing the challenges the city faces – budget cuts, police staffing and more.

Candelario said the city wouldn't see any of the revenue from the sales tax to boost the general fund until the 2015-16 fiscal year.

"Out of all the different types of things we could do as a city to bring in new revenue, I believe the (sales tax) is the fairest and best one we could do," said Mayor Doug Strehl.

The council also authorized a support letter for a state bill that would create a local entity to provide redevelopment options. The Community Revitalization Authorities – a group created by Salinas Assemblyman Luis Alejo's AB 2280 – will serve as a tool to help improve city conditions by increasing "employment opportunities, including reducing high crime rates, repairing deteriorated and inadequate infrastructure, and developing affordable housing," the staff report said.

"The City of Fortuna would be able to use such a tool to revitalize deteriorated infrastructure and attract businesses and jobs to our area," the draft letter said. "This tool could serve as a critical first step toward addressing the challenges faced by California's most disadvantaged and poorest areas."